Poland Detains 36-Year-Old Georgian in Artist's Killing as Tusk Probes Possible Russian Order
Updated
Updated · DW (English) · Jun 18
Poland Detains 36-Year-Old Georgian in Artist's Killing as Tusk Probes Possible Russian Order
3 articles · Updated · DW (English) · Jun 18
Summary
Polish police and the ABW detained a suspect carrying a Georgian passport in the fatal shooting of Russian dissident artist Semyon Skrepetski in Biala Podlaska, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
Five shots killed Skrepetski, also known as Robert Kuzovkov, on Tuesday; prosecutors said the gunman shot him, then approached and fired twice more at point-blank range, including once in the head.
Tusk called the case a possible political murder and said investigators are trying to identify who ordered it; he warned it would take on an international dimension if Russia commissioned the attack.
Skrepetski, 44, had lived in exile in Poland since 2021 after mocking Putin, Lukashenko, Kadyrov and Stalin, and had staged a protest outside Berlin's Russian embassy three days before he was killed.
Are European safe havens for dissidents now the main battleground in Russia's escalating shadow war?
With Chechnya's leader ailing, was this assassination a show of loyalty or a sign of chaos within his brutal regime?
The Assassination of Semyon Skrepetsky: Political Murder, Russian State Suspicion, and the Escalating Threat to European Dissidents
Overview
On June 15, 2026, Semyon Skrepetsky, a well-known artist famous for his outspoken criticism of Russian, Soviet, and Chechen leaders, was assassinated in Biała Podlaska, Poland. His killing happened during a time of high international tension, made worse by President Vladimir Putin’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Just a day before his death, Skrepetsky posted a provocative video on YouTube that quickly drew widespread attention. The assassination immediately sparked a major investigation and highlighted the dangers faced by dissidents, especially those who publicly challenge powerful regimes during periods of conflict.